Wake up to cozy fall flavors with this Pumpkin Scones Recipe—buttery, spiced, and topped with a sweet maple glaze. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a homemade café-style treat.

There’s nothing that says “cozy morning” quite like the smell of freshly baked scones wafting through your kitchen—and this Pumpkin Scones Recipe brings all the fall feels straight to your table!

What Makes This One The Bakery Version

• Dry The Pumpkin: Water kills flake. You’ll concentrate the purée first so the dough stays cold and sturdy.
• Grate + Cube The Butter: Two sizes of fat create steam pockets for height and sheets for flake.
• Quick Lamination: A few gentle folds give bakery layers without drama.
• Freeze Before Baking: Cold dough, hot oven—this is the whole game.

Ingredients (Weigh If You Can—Accuracy = Taller Scones)

Yield: 8 large wedges (or 12 smaller)
Oven: 400°F (200°C), rack middle
Time: 25 minutes prep + 20–22 minutes bake

Dry Mix

• 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp baking powder (yes, a full tablespoon)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• 1¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves (a pinch—don’t skip)

Butter (Very Cold)

• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled hard
• 2 tbsp (28 g) frozen butter, grated on the large holes of a box grater (keep frozen until using)

Wet Mix

• ½ cup (120 g) pumpkin purée, thickened (see step 1 below)
• ½ cup (120 ml) cold heavy cream (plus 1–2 tsp extra if needed)
• 1 large egg, cold
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract

Fold-Ins (Optional But Wonderful)

• ½ cup (80 g) mini dark chocolate chips or chopped toasted pecans
• 2 tbsp (20 g) pepitas (sprinkle on top)

Cream Wash & Sugar For Crunch

• 2 tbsp heavy cream (for brushing)
• 1½ tbsp turbinado sugar (for sparkle)

Glaze (Choose Your Adventure)

Maple-Vanilla Glaze

• ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½–1 tbsp milk or cream, to thin
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch fine sea salt

Cream Cheese Drizzle (Lux!)

• 2 oz (56 g) cream cheese, soft
• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
• ½–1 tbsp milk, to thin
• Pinch salt

Doughcraft, Not Guesswork

1. Concentrate The Pumpkin (2 Minutes, Big Payoff)

Spread the ½ cup pumpkin purée in a thin layer on a plate. Microwave 45–60 seconds or bake at 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 minutes until it darkens slightly and looks matte, not glossy. Scrape into a bowl and chill while you set up. You just removed extra water—hello, lift.

2. Prep Your Station

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Measure everything. Pop the lined sheet and your mixing bowl into the freezer for 5 minutes. Cold tools help.

3. Dry Team

Whisk flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all spices until it smells like October and the mixture looks uniform.

4. Butter—Two Textures For Two Jobs

Add the chilled cubes to the dry mix. Toss to coat. Use your fingertips to quickly flatten each cube into little flakes; stop when about pea-size remains. Now add the grated frozen butter and toss gently to distribute. (Cubes create pockets; shreds melt into layers.)

5. Wet Team

Whisk concentrated pumpkin, cold cream, egg, and vanilla until smooth. The mixture should be the consistency of pudding, not soup.

6. Bring It Together (No Overmixing)

Make a well in the flour. Pour in wet mix. With a fork, mix in a circle-and-fold motion until shaggy clumps form and no dry flour sits at the bottom. If the bowl looks dusty, drizzle 1–2 tsp extra cream—just until the dough barely holds together. It should look rough, not smooth.

7. Bench + Quick Lamination (The Secret)

Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a rectangle, 6×9 inches. With a bench scraper, fold like a letter into thirds (left over center, right over left). Turn 90°, pat again to 6×9, fold again. Do this two times total. You’ll see visible layers; stop while the dough still looks craggy.

8. Shape & Cut

Pat into a disk 7½–8 inches across, ¾–1 inch thick. For 8 wedges, cut like a pizza. For minis, split the disk into two 5-inch rounds and cut each into 6 wedges.

9. Sheet, Chill, Finish

Transfer wedges to the cold parchment sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush tops (not sides) with cream and shower with turbinado sugar. Freeze the tray 15–20 minutes—edges firm when tapped. This pause prevents slump and turbo-charges height.

10. Bake Hot, Watch For The Cue

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 18–22 minutes (minis: 14–17). Done = deep golden edges, dry matte tops, and a seam that looks slightly layered if you peek at the sides. A skewer comes out clean.

11. Cool & Glaze

Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Whisk your chosen glaze to a thick ribbon. Drizzle over warm scones so it sets shiny but doesn’t run off.

Professional Notes From A Person Who Has Burned A Few

• Flour Mood Swings: Humid day? Hold back 1–2 tsp cream. Dry day? Add 1–2 tsp extra. Aim for a shaggy dough that just holds together when pressed.
• Hands Off The Sides: Brush only the tops with cream. Brushing the sides seals layers and blocks rise.
• No Pastry Cutter? Your fingertips are perfect—work quickly. If the butter softens, slide the bowl into the freezer for 5 minutes and continue.

Variations (Same Method, New Personality)

• Chocolate–Pecan: Fold in ½ cup mini chips + ½ cup toasted pecans at step 6. Finish with maple glaze and a pinch of flaky salt.
• Cranberry–Orange: Swap cinnamon to 1 tsp, add ½ tsp cardamom, fold in ½ cup dried cranberries, and finish with 1 tsp orange zest whisked into the glaze.
• Brown Butter Glaze: Brown 2 tbsp butter; cool slightly and whisk into the powdered sugar with a splash of milk, vanilla, and salt. Caramel notes for days.

Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheating

• Freeze Raw: After step 9, freeze wedges solid, then bag up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 400°F (200°C) adding 2–4 minutes.
• Room Temp: Glazed scones keep 1 day, unglazed 2 days, wrapped airtight.
• Reheat: 300°F (150°C) for 6–8 minutes brings back the edge crisp. Microwaves make them soft; good for “butter sponge mode,” less so for flake.
• Staling Insurance: Split and toast day-old scones; the crumb warms up like fresh.

Troubleshooting (So Nothing Surprises You)

• Spread Flat: Dough was warm or wet. Next time freeze longer, and make sure pumpkin is concentrated.
• Too Dense: You overworked the dough or skimped on baking powder. Fold gently; measure that full tablespoon.
• Floury Patches: You didn’t combine enough in the bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains before the bench folds.
• Pale Tops: Your oven is running cool. Add 2–3 minutes or finish with a quick kiss under the broiler while watching like a hawk.

What To Serve With (And How To Show Off)

• Salted Maple Butter: Mash 4 tbsp soft butter + 1 tbsp maple + pinch flaky salt.
• Latte Pairing: Dust a cappuccino with ½ cinnamon + ½ cocoa for a café moment at home.
• Gift Game: Wrap two scones in parchment, tie with baker’s twine, tuck a printed reheating note. People talk.

Save this and tag me when those layers split on the first bite—the season for Pumpkin Scones Recipe starts the minute your butter hits the flour!